Trump fires USAID inspector general: Report
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has fired Paul Martin, the inspector general for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), multiple media outlets reported. Martin's office had released a report criticizing the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle USAID a day before the dismissal. The report noted that over $489 million in food assistance was at risk due to an aid freeze and stop-work order by the administration.
Aid concerns
Martin's report highlights risks to unspent aid
Martin learned of his firing via a two-sentence email from the White House, sent by Trent Morse, deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel. His position was "terminated, effective immediately," the email read, without specifying a reason. Martin's report had warned that staffing cuts and policy changes at USAID had undermined its ability to protect taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance and impeded oversight of unspent aid of $8.2 billion.
Downsizing dispute
Trump's downsizing of USAID faces legal challenges
As part of a larger effort led by his top donor Elon Musk to shrink or eliminate portions of the US government, Trump has been aggressively shrinking USAID. The effort has included freezing foreign aid and cutting USAID's workforce from 10,000 employees to about 300. Labor unions have sued over the measures, prompting a federal judge to temporarily block plans to put 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave.
Aid impact
USAID's role in global aid distribution under scrutiny
In FY 2023, the US distributed $72 billion in aid globally, with USAID overseeing a budget of $42.8 billion and accounting for 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the UN in 2024. The agency distributes US humanitarian aid globally and is a major player in health and emergency programs in about 120 countries. In his executive order, Trump said US foreign aid organizations "are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values."